Brisbane DJ/ producer Joey Da Rin has been making musical waves under his moniker, Young Franco.
In the wake of his upcoming ‘Don’t U Want Me’ tour, Joey will be getting into ship-shape prior to setting sail next year on the Sea ‘N Beats party cruise. “It should be really good,” Joey says. "I've only been on a cruise once and I had an incredible time; it's unreal, it's a crazy experience and there's nothing like it.
“I'm lucky that all my friends are going to be on it too, so it's kind of going to be a big family vibe… Mickey Kojak's playing too, Hot Dub Time Machine… so that's all people that are pretty much family and a lot of other people I'm quite close to as well. So it's really cool, I'm excited.”
Casting off in March, 2016, Sea ‘N Beats is a four-day/ three-night party cruise departing Brisbane for a festival on a curiosity-piquing ‘mystery island’ (how very ‘Scooby-Doo’). On deck for the non-stop party is a crew of EDM and hip hop favourites: Alison Wonderland, Allday, Peking Duk and of course, Young Franco.
But before he hits the high seas, Joey will be hitting stages for his headlining ‘Don’t U Want Me’ tour. To prepare, Joey says he’s been working hard piecing together a set-list and writing new tracks for release in the near future. “I've been writing a lot, so I'm excited to start playing new songs and get the vibe for what I want to do for the next single and the single after that."
Currently surfing the foamy crescent of success on the back of disco-flavoured hits ‘Talkin’ Bout It’ (ft. KLP), ‘Close 2 U’ (ft. JOY) and his killer debut EP ‘Futurefunk’ receiving airplay on both international and digital radio, Joey says that, more than anything, he has been lucky. “I've been really lucky with everything. [The EP was] played on BBC Radio One, it's gotten played on Beats One radio which is the new Apple thing, which is cool… so I’ve been really lucky with everything; people seem to like it, Triple J's been pretty good too... it's all piecing together.
“I’ve been writing for a while and people seem to be reacting quite well to it and that's just a blessing. I've been lucky that I've been releasing stuff and it's caught on in some ways. It's a pretty amazing thing to be able to tour off your own music and I'm quite grateful for it.”
Combining his penchants for funky basslines, vocoders and old-disco records, Young Franco breathes fresh life into EDM, reviving the glittering, retro sounds of '70s discotheques. While his sound and style may draw on music of the past, Joey is firmly focussed on the future. “I have a few singles that I've finished that I'm lining-up for the next release. I'm writing with the purpose of just writing for myself, which turns out was the best way for me to write.
"It's no real method; I don't think I go into anything with the purpose [sic] but I'm kind of chugging along, I keep writing every day and see where it takes me. I think a single will definitely be the next one then see how we go after that.”
Young Franco plays Valley Fiesta (Brisbane) 23-25 October; and the Sea ‘N Beats Party Cruise (departing Brisbane) 5-8 March, 2016.
Young Franco ‘Don’t U Want Me’ Tour Dates
Fri 30 Oct - Newtown Social Club (Sydney)Sat 31 Oct - Jack Rabbit Slims (Perth)
Sat 7 Nov - Black Bear Lodge (Brisbane)
